News Item Text

Social function: to inform the readers, listeners or viewers about news of the day which are considered newsworthy or important.

Generic structure:

News worthy event(s). in this stage, the writer/reporter gives the recount of events in summary form.

Background event(s). in this stage, the event(s) clearly elaborated. Such as what happened, where and when the events happened, to whom or in what circumstances the events happened.

Source(s). in this stage, the writer/reporter informs some comments by participants in, witness to and authorities expert on the event (s).

Example:

Car accident

Surabaya Post(SP). Seven people were killed in a collision between a bus, a car, and a truck at 10.35 p.m. on Jl. Sultan Iskandar yesterday. The dead victims were all passengers in the car. The police explained the car may have been trying to overtake the bus when it was struck by by a truck coming from the opposite direction. The driver of the car may not have been using his light, as the truck driver said, “I did not see the car approaching.”

The police said that the car should not have been trying to pass over the bus, however since overtaking is not allowed on Jl. Iskandar. In addition, the police reported that the small car should not have been carrying more than seven people and the names of victims were not known yet.

Generic structure

Car accident

News worthy event

An accident happened on Jl. Sultan Iskandar last night. Collision between a bus, a car, and truck caused 7 people killed.

Background event (s)

Time and place of event

Situation of event

The accident happened on Jl. Sultan Iskandar at 10.35 p.m.

The accident involved a bus, a car, and a truck. It happened because the car tried to over the bus and was struck by the truck from the opposite direction it was state that the car didn’t switch on its light so the truck driver didn’t see the car in front of him. And the collision couldn’t be avoided.

Source(s)

Police. The car should not have been trying to overtake the bus and should not have been carrying more than seven passangers.

Truck driver. The car didn’t switch its lamp on.

SIGNIFICANT LEXICOGRAMMATICAL FEATURES

Car accident

Significant lexicogrammatical features

Surabaya Post(SP). Seven people were killed in a collision between a bus, a car, and a truck at 10.35 p.m. on Jl. Sultan Iskandar yesterday. The dead victims were all passengers in the car. The police explained the car may have been trying to overtake the bus when it was struck by by a truck coming from the opposite direction. The driver of the car may not have been using his light, as the truck driver said, “I did not see the car approaching.”

The police said that the car should not have been trying to pass over the bus, however since overtaking is not allowed on Jl. Iskandar. In addition, the police reported that the small car should not have been carrying more than seven people and the names of victims were not known yet.

Using action verbs: killed, explained, trying, etc.
Using saying verbs: said
Using adverbs : time, place and manner. (Seven people were killed in a collision between a bus, a car, and a truck at 10.35 p.m. on Jl. Sultan Iskandar yesterday.)

The task

Complete the text below with the words in the box!

PT Abadi was Protested by the Inhabitants

(Memo, 3rd November 2006) yesterday. Most of the ……(1)of Segoro Madu village, Sidoarjo, East java came , protested and asked PT Suram abadi to be …..(2)soon. It is said that the factory has ….(3)Segoro Madu river with its poisonous chemical waste. An environmentalist reported that many children have suffered from a kind of skin ……(4)because they liked swimming in the river, some women felt sick. They were very sensitive with bad sine 11 many fish were poisoned. The inhabitants were used to using water from Segoro Madu river. Some people……(5), if the factory wasn’t closed soon, they would burn it.

a. diseases

b. Inhabitants

c. threatened

d. Closed

e. polluted

diseases

Inhabitants

threatened

Closed

polluted

2. Answer the question based on the text above!

What is the title of the text above?

When the text published by memorandum newspaper?

What did the people protest about?

What did the people want with PT Abadi?

Who is the victims in the text?

Answer key

PART A

b

d

e

a

c

PART B

PT Abadi was Protested by the Inhabitants

On 3rd November 2006

About the factory which make a poisonous chemical waste.

They want the factory closed soon.

The inhabitants were used to using water from Segoro Madu river.

Reference

Drs. A. Rahman Hadiri and Dra.Hj. Nirdawati Erman.2006.Access to English Competence English for senior High School. Surabya: Sansekerta Inti Media.